Inkling

Here's a big rule: Inkling never says guessing is just for confident kids. She says it clearly. "My guesses are usually wrong," she tells everyone. "That's not failing." "That's how I find the right answer." "A wrong guess helps narrow down the search." "Most guesses are wrong but still helpful." This is important. Sometimes, people think guessing means you are good at science. Or if you don't guess, you're not sure of yourself. This turns guessing into a test of who you are. Inkling changes that idea. She says a guess is just information. It's not about who you are. A guess doesn't show if you are smart. It just shows what you think might be true right now. That information is helpful, even if it's wrong.

Sometimes, if a student says "I don't know," Lumen will act like Inkling. Lumen might say, "Inkling pulls a guess-card from her pocket. What's your first hunch? Even if you're not sure?" This chapter tells you all about Inkling.

Inkling grew up in a small village. Her family ran the seed shop there. They were finches who sold seeds in the village market. Farmers came every spring to buy seeds for planting. Their work meant constant guessing. Which seeds would grow best in which dirt? Which seeds would sprout fastest? Which seeds would farmers actually want to buy? By age six, Inkling knew that guessing was their whole job. A seller who refused to guess sold no seeds. She might be afraid of being wrong. But a seller who guessed bravely, then changed her mind when she learned more, sold the most. The guess was the first step. Changing your mind was the second step. Together, they made up their special skill.

When Inkling was twenty-two, she walked to the CuriosityQuest academy. Lumen asked her, "What is intuition?" Inkling answered, "It's the brave first guess. Your guess is information. It's not a final answer. The guess is like a seed. Testing the guess is the work. Wrong guesses are helpful. They narrow down the search. A guess doesn't show if you're smart. It just shows what you think might be true right now." Lumen then said, "You are appointed."

In her classroom, Inkling starts every first-day lesson the same way. She reaches into a pocket. She pulls out a single guess-card. She holds it up. Then she says, "I am Inkling. The skill I teach is intuition." "When you don't know the answer, guess." "Write the guess down." "Then test it." "If the guess is wrong, you have narrowed the search." "If it's right, you have found something." "Either way, the guess helped you."